Yamaha RX5

Out of the eighties comes this hugely underrated drum
machine—in 1986, the RX5 was Yamaha's flagship drum machine.
Although its vintage appeal may be diminished by the Roland R-8 (as well as the resurgence of the
TR-808 and TR-909 machines), if you're on a budget,
this one could be for you.

The RX5 has many features that other drum machines simply do not
have. Aside from all of the basics, such as pitch adjustment, level
control, etc., this machine also features "Attack" and "Decay" envelope
controls and two levels of "Accent" for each sound, allowing you to
really change the character of any of its 24 built-in sounds. The sounds
range from surprisingly real and punchy kicks and snares, to gunshots,
door slams, even guitar and bass samples.

The RX5 features a RAM/ROM cartridge slot for storing custom edited
sounds and loading in new sounds as well (adding an additional 28 sounds
to the 24 built-in). Any sound can be assigned along the top row of pads
(the bottom row are preset to the usual suspects—kick, snare,
toms, hats, etc.), allowing you to customize your drum kit. Make an
orchestra of handclaps, bass drums, or guitars! You can create and store
up to three custom drum kits.

Another interesting feature of the RX5 is its pitch envelope. There
are two simple parameters: "Bend Amount" and "Bend Rate". With this
feature, you can make any sound pitch-bend downwards or upwards, across
several octaves. This effect can be stored as part of your custom edited
sound at the touch of a few buttons.

Also overlooked but extremely useful are the "Reverse" and "Damp"
functions. You can record a reverse crash cymbal at one point in a drum
pattern, and switch back to a regular crash cymbal elsewhere in the same
pattern. The "Damp" function emulates the dampening of a drum head or a
cymbal choke. Many drum machines overlook these useful functions, which
can really help add a touch more authenticity and nuance to your drum
patterns.

The sequencer section can record up to 100 patterns with time
signatures ranging from 01/32 to 99/2 in either Real Time or Step Time
record modes. Real Time recorded patterns can be quantized to the
nearest 1/2 to 1/48 note. Patterns can be arranged in up to 30 Songs.
And Songs can be chained together to form complete performance sets. All
sequence data can also be offloaded to external RAM cartridge or
cassette tape interface.

It is also worth mentioning that the RX5 has a 12 channel mixer with
stereo out plus 12 individual outputs. Along with full MIDI
Implementation, it's a snap to integrate into your studio. Use it as a
stand-alone desktop drum machine, or hook it up to your MIDI keyboard or
DAW system like a sound module for some serious drums! Sounds can be
arranged for a MIDI keyboard however you please, and the RX5 will save
the keyboard mapping—even if the sounds are coming from an
external sound cartridge.

The RX5 was shipped by Yamaha with one additional cartridge of
sounds—the "RX5 ROM". Three additional Waveform ROM Cartridges
were made to suit various genres: WRC-02 "Jazz/Fusion," WRC-03 "Heavy
Metal," and WRC-04 "Effects." There were also a few third-party
cartridges made, containing TR-808 and TR-909 samples, but they are rather rare. If
you're looking for an RX5, try to find one with all the ROM cartridges,
and maybe a "RAM4" cartridge too, as they may come in handy.

Overall, a very unique and in-depth machine, capable of a huge
variety of sounds. From the nostalgic sounds that defined 80's drum
beats, to rock, metal, and electronic music. Programming a beat may not
be as easy as a Roland TR machine, but it's still intuitive tap-based
recording. You will have no problem finding a place for this beast in
your studio.

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